Air fresheners are commonly used to impart a pleasant fragrance within an area such as the interior of a home or an automobile. Air fresheners disperse volatile compounds that the human olfactory system perceives as fragrances. Mechanisms for dispersing the fragrant compounds include passive evaporation or diffusion from a substrate impregnated with the fragrant compound and active evaporation or diffusion induced by heat or by a stream of flowing air.
One air freshener device made of a thick paper-like material impregnated with a fragrant compound and shaped like the silhouette of a coniferous tree has been sold for many years by CAR-FRESHNER Corporation as an air freshener for automobiles. This air freshener device hangs from an interior part of the automobile but is relatively static.
Motion of part or all of an air freshener device can assist the dispersal of fragrance. U.S. Pat. No. 4,352,461 discloses an air freshener device comprising a container of liquid fragrance oscillated on a flexible rod attached to a suction cup mountable on the dashboard of an automobile.
Some air freshener devices convey an impression of action or motion through, for example, parts that move relative to one another. U.S. Pat. No. 6,764,656 discloses a sports figure shaped fan, containing a scent reservoir, that attaches to an automobile ventilation grill. Air flow from the ventilation grill disperses scent and causes the figure's arms to extend and rotate as if throwing a ball. One disadvantage of the U.S. Pat. No. 6,764,656 device is the necessity to attach the device to a ventilation grill rather than to some other part of an automobile such as the rear window, where the moving device might be more visible.
The GAME PLAY air freshener device sold by CAR-FRESHNER Corporation comprises two sports-related items, such as a baseball and a baseball mitt, that are connected so that the parts move somewhat relative to one another.